Aug 31, 2009

What I miss most

2 years ago I left my country and moved here to Singapore. It was sort of a dream come true because Ive always wanted to travel. Some of my good friends are also living here and they have told me of the perks of living abroad. For the past 2 years I have indeed witnessed these good things. Stil,  I miss home. I would love to come home one day soon. But for now, I have to work and save up. I need the extra cash to finish school and also put up a little business.

Here are some of the things I truly miss :

1) Barbecues on weekends - every Sat or Sun, me and my brothers would chip in and buy chicken, fish and pork to grill. We eat the bbq with steamed rice, green mangoes with onions, tomatoes. The dip would be soy sauce with lime juice. Of course this is best eaten with ice cold coke.
2) Movie Marathons with Family
This is also during weekends. We would get bootleg copies of movies at Metrowalk in Ortigas and watch it till the wee hours of the night.




3) Jollibee and Red Ribbon
Chicken Joy, Palabok and the spaketchap are just my favorites. Burger steak with rice is not so bad at all either. As for red Ribbon I miss the cakes of course. My favorites are Black Forest, Chocolate Mousse and their Taisan (?) slice.


4) Isaw, Betamax, Adidas, IUD, neck warmer, baga and batikuleng - Yes the dirty street food. I miss it a lot. It tastes great also with ice cold coke or POP!

5) PBA - Yes I miss watching the "balyahan" and larong "buko" of some of our players. If some countries like watching soccer or football, in Pinas, PBA is the local equivalent.


6) Maalala ala mo kaya - Although I am not really into mushy tagalog films a I must admit I enjoy and miss watching this weekly tv show.
 
7) Mommy and Daddy's sinigang and other Pinoy dishes - Nothing beats home cooking especially made by my parents. I miss their cooking and I miss them both a lot. 
8) I simply miss the company of old friends and of course my family. That is probably what I miss most about home.



9) The Beach - our country boasts of having one of the nicest beaches in the world. I miss the beautiful beaches and the laid back life.

10) Last but not the least, I miss the company of my sweet loving cats.







starting afresh

took a long break from blogging. although, im back to square one i figured it cant be that bad. this is is going to be my online journal on my trips, passions, some current events and most importantly cats!

Aug 30, 2009

Review on cat food - source: www.petfooddirect.com

What our cats are currently having:



Hill's Science Diet Adult Indoor cat food provides precisely balanced nutrition for cats with an indoor lifestyle. It has fewer calories than the Hill's Science Diet Adult Optimal Care Original formula to help maintain a healthy weight and a unique fiber technology to help avoid hairballs. It also has clinically proven antioxidants to support a healthy immune system for your cat.

Rates based on petfooddirect.com in the United States:


Description
Price
Sale
Special Notes
Qty
Add
3.5-lb bag$15.39  
  
8.5-lb bag$30.79  
  
17.5-lb bag
(Limited time offer.)
$42.99$37.99  
  
Ingredients:
Chicken By-Product Meal, Brewers Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Ground Whole Grain Corn, Powdered Cellulose (10.5% source of fiber), Chicken Liver Flavor, Soybean Oil, Animal Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Calcium Sulfate, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, vitamins (L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), Glyceryl Monostearate, Vitamin E Supplement, DL-Methionine, Iodized Salt, Taurine, minerals (Zinc Oxide, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), L-Carnitine, preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid, Beta-Carotene, Rosemary Extract. 
Guaranteed Analysis %:
Protein (min) 31 
Fiber (max) 10 
Fat (min) 
Calcium (min) 0.5 
Phosphorus (min) 0.45 
Taurine (min) 0.1 
Magnesium (max) 0.07 

Important Information:


Recommended For Adult cats 1 to 6 years of age with an indoor lifestyle.

Not Recommended For Kittens, pregnant or nursing cats. During pregnancy or nursing, cats should be switched to Science Diet Kitten Healthy Development Original or Science Diet Kitten Healthy Development Ocean Fish &Rice Recipe. 

 OUR REVIEW:
Our cats were initially on F and W Brand (thats not the name of the brand but the initials only). The FW Brand was cheaper compared to the Science Diet. We couldnt really say that FW was a bad brand, we just noticed a great improvement on our cats when we switched them to Science Diet. The cats seem healthier now and also their coat is shinier and fluffier.  One major thing we also noticed was their turds. On W brand, their turds really reeked. Ever since they have been eating Science Diet, the smell was not as bad.
The cats also seem to not touch the FW kibble unless they dont have a choice. When we went on vacation and were a little short on the budget, we got them a bag of W brand. When we got back we noticed that the bowl was full and they ate just a bit of it. The next day, we got them a big bag of Science Diet and our bigger cat showed her enthusiasm by running to the bag and sniffing it. They seem to not like any other brand after we started them on Science Diet.
The price is not cheap. The 3.5-lb bag costs S$26 and the 8.5-lb bag is S$52. We do get discounts from Pet Lovers Center though. Roughly our budget is S$70 for our babies' goodies (food, litter and miscellaneous). We do plan on trying also the Iams or Fancy Feast Premium. For now I think our babies seem very satisfied.

some of my favorite photos of My darling Fishy.

 

cats at patong phuket

cat caboodles

Last June 13 we finally got our cats a special treat. They deserve it. Our babies, Sushi, Thumper and Dapper, have been in the same boat as us. Deprivation. We were glad that were able to afford to get them a few things to show our "appreciation" to them for being such good kitties and for being behaved most of the time.

Here are some items we got for our little girls. The brown cat gym, magic stick, mousey doll and blue rollball toy.

Some of the things I included in this post were bought a few months ago. I thought of adding them anyway. These are namely the red canopy bed and the red round platform with running mouse toy.

The brown gym on the left was purchased at Pet Lover's Center. It has 2 scratch posts and 2 elevated platforms where the cats can hang out. It also comes with a little room where the kitties can "hide".

Below is a close up of the cats' new gym where you will see the little entrance and the mouse toy dangling from the higher platform.

The other thing we got Thumper was a little red bed that we have been eyeing for a few weeks. We got this a few months before we moved to the new apartment. Its a red canopy bed with snowflake design and has an irresistable feel to it. I told myself I would get it as soon as I get some extra cash. The bed was really nice and was on sale too.This red canopy bed was from the new Pet STation store at the Tampines 1 mall. The only problem with it though is I dont know how to wash it. The little soft padded pillow inside is machine washable but the whole canopy thing seems that it can only be vacummed or rolled with a lint remover to get rid of the fur, dust on it.
It was worth it.  Thumper loved the new bad. My concern now is how to clean the darn thing because it is full of the cats' fur.
The three cats would try to beat each other to it. They'd really get cozy they get in that red bed. Most of the time it is Thumper who sleeps in there. If Dapper or Sushi tries to sleep in it, Thumper would usually have a fit and kick them out.

We arent playing favorites but we thought of getting this bed for Thumper a while back before we even had the new cat Sushi.

It came in the right time when Thumper was recuperating from an accident. Ironically, she fell from the curtain and hit her stupid neck on the headboard that very same day we bought that new bad. She was partially paralyzed for a few days. She used gestures to tell us when she was hungry, thirsty and when she had to go. I was heartbroken to see her in that state but I was also a little amused watching Thumper. She was so helpless and we had to really baby her. Cats are independent animals and that was one of those rare moments I felt she needed me. She got well after just a week.

Here is a photo of the magic stick that seems to be the favorite of Thumper and Dapper. It has green feathers and a ball on its end that makes a rattling sound when you shake it.
Unfortunately most of the feathers are gone because like I said the cats love it. They go crazy when I bring it out for them. In fact even it is cheaper than the little mousey toy, it gets their attention like dope on crackheads. The cats have snatched, bit and chewed most of the feathers so I feel compelled to get them a new one. Again, once I have extra money.

The little mousey has an elastic band attached to it plus a ring plastic so you can slide your finger and get a better grip of the the toy. In case you want to get one like it, just be careful with it when playing with your cats. One time I was playing with Thumper, she caught it and I tried to snatch it from her and it bounced right on my eye. That was not fun.

The magic stick I think costs around $3 and the mousey toy is $6-$7.


Below are the little round toys with a small mouse or ball that is meant to be chased by the cats. They would chase it non stop for hours sometimes. My husband bought the red one which cost around $20. The first time the cat played with it, they were like in a trance. The older cat Dapper was on that toy for 4 straight hours. She really wouldnt stop chasing the mouse.

The blue one is a more recent toy we got for them this year and its cheaper. It costs $3.90. It has a colorful ball inside and it works much like the red round toy except it has a ball instead of a little furry mouse.

Finally is the first toy we got for the Babies. It's the original gym and it cost something around $30. Here are the before and after photos. The white cat in diapers is Whitty by the way. Ill write a separate article about her.

BEFORE


AFTER


Well as you can see, we love our pets to bits. Spoiled little ingrates as we call them. I quoted some of the toys' prices so you have an idea how much it will cost in case you would like to buy your cats these knick knacks.  Honestly, having cats is a little costly but it is worth every cent Ive spent. They are my furry stress ball.